Chapter 39
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Billy
I run the curry comb over Whiskey Jack’s flank, watching the dust motes dance in the sunlight. The water in the dip is cool, rising up to the horse’s knees. He splashes, tossing his head in enjoyment.
It’s quiet down here. Just the sound of water and the horse breathing.
I needed this. A moment of peace.
Then I hear the engine.
It’s loud. Straining. A tractor tearing across the pasture at full speed.
I frown, shielding my eyes against the sun. I see Jasper on the back of the John Deere, bouncing wildly on the seat. The kid looks terrified.
He pulls up to the edge of the dip, slamming on the brakes. The engine coughs and dies.
“Billy!” Jasper screams. He scrambles down from the cab, nearly falling into the mud. “Billy!”
My stomach drops. “What is it? Is it the cattle?”
“No!” Jasper gasps, bent over with his hands on his knees. “It’s Seth. He called, said it’s an emergency. You have to come back. Now.”
“What kind of emergency?”
“He didn’t say. Just that you had to get to the house. Immediately.”
I don’t ask any more questions.
I grab the reins, vaulting onto the horse’s back. I don’t bother with a saddle. I kick my heels into his sides.
We run.
I push the gelding hard, leaning low over his neck. The wind whips my face. The barns flash past. The pasture blurs.
Emergency.
My mind races. Did someone get hurt? Did Joey come back? Did the parasite come back?
I see the house in the distance.
And then I smell it.
Even from here. Even with the wind shifting.
It hits me like a physical blow.
Honeysuckle. Cedar. And something else. Something sweet and ripe.
Omega in heat.
My grip tightens on the reins. My blood heats up instantly. My cock hardens in my jeans.
Sedona.
I ride the horse right up to the porch. I jump off before he stops moving. I don’t tie him up. I sprint inside.
The door is already open. I take the stairs two at a time.
The scent is stronger here. It fills the hallway. It pours out from under the master bedroom door.
I shove the door open and come to a stop.
The room is dim. The curtains are drawn. And on the bed, I see them.
Seth is there. He’s shirtless, his back muscles bunched and straining. He’s between her legs. His hips piston back and forth in a relentless, driving motion.
Sedona is beneath him, her head thrown back against the pillows. Her legs are wrapped around his waist, and her fingers dig into his shoulders.
She smells delectable.
My mouth waters. My cock throbs, leaking pre-cum into my boxers.
Seth turns his head. He sees me standing in the doorway. His eyes are black, swallowed by lust. He doesn’t stop moving.
“I couldn’t stop,” he grinds out. “She needed it. I tried... I couldn’t.”
He thrusts deep. Sedona cries out, arching off the bed.
“Billy,” she gasps. She turns her head. Her eyes find mine. They’re hazy, fever-bright. “Billy.”
I walk to the bed, my feet moving of their own accord. I’m pulled to her like a magnet.
I stand by the side of the mattress and look down at her.
Her skin is flushed pink. Her hair is a wild tangle on the pillow. She looks beautiful. Wrecked.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
She nods. Her breath hitches. “Everything hurts,” she whispers. “It burns.”
I lean down to kiss her cheek. I taste the salt of her sweat.
“Seth can help,” I murmur. “Let him help.”
“I need all of you,” she chokes out. Her hand reaches for me. She grabs my wrist. Her grip is surprisingly strong. “Please. I need... I need...”
She drags my hand down.
I feel the heat radiating from her core. I feel Seth’s shaft sliding in and out of her. I feel her slick coating everything.
She presses my fingers against her clit.
“Rub it for me,” she begs. “Please.”
I look at Seth. He’s watching me, his jaw tight. He doesn’t stop moving. He nods.
I comply.
I press my thumb against the swollen bud. I rub it in circles, matching the pace of Seth’s thrusts.
Sedona screams.
Her body shudders. She clenches around Seth. Her legs tighten.
“Oh god,” she moans. “Yes. Right there.”
I watch her face. I watch the pleasure wash over her. I feel the connection between the three of us. It’s electric. It’s primal.
I work her clit with my thumb. Seth pounds into her.
We are working together. We are a pack.
The door creaks behind me, and I turn my head.
Tex stands in the doorway.
He’s frozen, his eyes wide as he takes in the scene. Me kneeling by the bed. Seth on top. Sedona writhing.
His nostrils flare. He smells the heat. I see the bulge in his jeans grow instantly.
“Oh, baby,” he says. His voice is rough. “What happened?”
Sedona opens her eyes. She looks at Tex. A smile touches her lips.
“I’m in heat,” she gasps. “Don’t just stand there.”
Seth groans. His rhythm falters. He slams into her one last time. He holds still, his back bowing.
His knot locks.
Sedona gasps, her eyes rolling back. She climaxes again, her body milking him.
Seth collapses forward, catching himself on his elbows. He buries his face in her neck.
She sighs, and her body goes limp, the tension draining out of her muscles. The feverish haze seems to lift, replaced by a satisfied exhaustion.
She dozes off almost instantly.
Seth carefully rolls them to the side, keeping them connected. He pulls the blanket over her hips.
He looks at me. Then at Tex.
The silence is heavy.
I stand up. My hand is covered in her slick, and I wipe it on my jeans.
“Well,” Tex says. He rubs the back of his neck. “That’s... new.”
“She went into heat,” Seth says. His voice is hoarse. “It came on fast. I couldn’t get her to the clinic. I couldn’t leave her.”
“We need to work together,” I say. The words are clear. “To get her off. To get her through this. We can’t fight over her. Not now.”
Tex nods slowly. He looks at Sedona’s sleeping face. The anger, the jealousy—it’s all gone. Replaced by protectiveness.
“I think I might need to call Grant,” Tex says. “Cancel my event.”
“Tripp will be glad,” Seth mutters. He presses a kiss to Sedona’s shoulder.
“I don’t care about Tripp,” Tex says. “I’m not leaving her.”
We stand there. Three brothers. A pack.
Sedona stirs.
She blinks her eyes open. She looks at Seth, still locked inside her. She looks at me. She looks at Tex.
She smiles, a soft, happy smile.
“You’re here,” she whispers. “All of you.”
“Yeah,” I say. I brush a curl off her forehead. “We’re here.”
She closes her eyes again and snuggles into Seth’s chest.
The heat will come back. It will be a long few days. But looking at my brothers, looking at the woman we all love, I know we can handle it.
We have to.
Because she needs us.
And for the first time in five years, we are all on the same page.